Hidden adventures: Exploring Rushmere park

What do you do on holiday? Find places to play and places to eat right. And the places to play often involve plenty of

standing

walking

carrying things.

being far from food and water

getting caught up in fun.

Well what do you do during a normal working week?

Sit down

Get work done

Have water on tap and no access to sun.

You don’t play much at work do you and you’re only good at what you do regularly so I like to use play each week and special days like bank holidays to practice for fun.

So that when the big feasts of fun like Christmas and summer holidays come I know exactly what to do and I’m fit and strong enough to really enjoy it.

That is where Rushmere park came in today because it is this beautiful public park on the edge of Milton Keynes where I live that to me is just the epitome of happiness.

What’s in this hole?!!

They’ve actually changed it around so while we were used to visiting the Stockgrove part of it we have only visited Rushmere itself once before and it’s change a lot for the better since.

Back then it was the new centre of the park and mummy had our little bun in the oven. Now the little bun has grown into a proper muffin and the park centre has become a well designed reception including enclosed restaurant with wall to wall windows showing off the stunning views.

I say stunning because I search out places with views but this was special. You can see it for yourself but like most views you really have to experience it for yourself. The serenity is hard to express with the pond at the bottom and the forest all around you

We also took the opportunity to search for new places to eat that have

great gardens for kids.

Great views for the view obsessed

and great food.

We found the Axe and Compass pub and had the best time. The review of that will come out later.

So I have no intention of writing a long post because I’m more interest in letting the photos speak for themselves.

If you have any ideas of places we can try or things we can do then I’m all ears.

Reception Lodge

Stunning view from the reception lodge

Though this picture really doesn’t do it justice. I heard that you can also see herons nesting and they set up telescopes so you can peer in though these weren’t in place when we visited.

Map of Rushmere park

This map of the park fascinates me because I didn’t realise just how much there was. I have traversed the Stockgrove park and enjoyed it but really wanted to find more. Now I can I’m excited.

The wee gift shop

The gift shop is very small, it was more a cupboard full of things you want to buy so it wasn’t imposing, it is just a nice way to contribute to the up keep of the park.

The trails

We didn’t do all the trails because there are so many but we did get to see many of the windows, doors and other fun things etched into trees along the route.

How big is the giant that sits in this chair!!!

The wee man likes the giants chair

We followed the tree door on a trail into the deeper forest behind it

Who lives in this tree?

What steps did we take?

The principles of Fit2Thrive are baked right into every day life so the better you get at it the easier it is to take a bunch of steps every day that invest in your health and happiness.

I’ve been doing this so long I manage to cram so many things into just one or two activities so I’ll just list some of the things we gained from today

Play

I taught my little one how much fun it is to explore trails and find toys in nature like conkers, pine cones, sticks and holes

We found a wonderful new sand park with its own mechanical digger

We found a cool nature trail with windows and doors in trees and chairs for giants

Compete

Little ones need to learn about the world around them and he learnt about gravity, seeds, trees, and all the fun that a forest brings

We enjoyed spending time as a family. Work and other things get in the way but we forgot all that and just had fun together

It’s cheap, the food and drink in the lodge can add up but otherwise it’s only £2 parking and the rest is free. You’re allowed to bring your own food so it can be real cheap outdoor fun.

Create

Got a dose of vitamin d

built up our resistance to skin cancer

Did a bunch of squats, shoulder raises, stretches and various other movements all as part of piggy backs, chasing and racing each other and exploring.

So that was our fun day and how it contributed to even more fun days throughout the year. We’ve found a wonderful new place to explore, had fun as a family and introduced our little one to the fun of exploring forests.

If you want to learn how this much fun can make you stronger then sign up to my newsletter or get in touch through social media or email.

Rushmere Park by Bridget Davey

If you want to see some professional photos like the one about that really do the park justice then checkout Bridget Davey’s page about rushmere and stockgrove park.

Thanks a lot for listening and I hope you have a great day.

Colin

p.s

If you want to find things that you love (play) that are part of your daily pressures (compete) which build your path to health and happiness (create). Then sign up to my newsletter where I show everyone how to speed up the process.